1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to outerwear such as a polo shirt, a windbreaker, and rainwear. More particularly, the present invention relates to [an] outerwear suitable for playing golf, tennis, and other sports that stretch so as to follow a player""s actions of twisting the body and swinging the arms widely.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a golf course, a golfer usually wears a polo shirt with a half-length sleeve in summer, a polo shirt with a long sleeve in spring and autumn, and a sweater over the polo shirt in winter. When it is windy and cold, some persons wear the windbreaker over the polo shirt or the sweater. When it is rainy, some persons wear the rainwear over the polo shirt or the sweater. As shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, the basic outerwear, namely, the polo shirt with the half-length sleeve and the long sleeve are formed by sewing a front body cloth 1 and a rear body cloth 2 to each other at flank lines L1 and L2; sewing a sleeve 3 to the front body cloth 1 and the rear body cloth 2 along the armhole of each thereof; forming opening 1a each having a required diameter at upper center positions of the front body cloth 1 closed by buttons; and sewing a neck cloth 5 to the front body cloth 1 and the rear body cloth 2 round its neck. Needless to say, a golfer puts on the polo shirt by slipping it over the user""s head. The edge of the sleeve is of open type or closed type. The edge of the sleeve of the closed type has a rib stitch portion sewed thereto.
To allow the polo shirt for a golfer to follow the golfer""s action of swinging a golf club, the polo shirt is made of cloth of which thread of 100% cotton or mixed thread of cotton and polyester are knitted so as to be stretchable. However, the polo shirt made of the cloth is stretchable uniformly as a whole. That is, the method allowing a specific part of the polo shirt is not stretchable in a specific direction.
Further, the conventional polo shirt made of the stretchable cloth has the following problem: That is, as described above, the front body cloth 1 and the rear body cloth 2 are sewed to each other along flank lines L1 and L2. That is, each sewing line is coincident with each of the flank lines L1 and L2. As the part along each sewing line is stretchable in a low degree, the part along each of the flank lines L1 and L2 is less stretchable than other parts thereof in the polo shirt. The sleeve 3 is sewed to the front body cloth 1 and the rear body cloth 2 along the armhole of each thereof. Thus, in the polo shirt, the part along the armhole is also less stretchable than other parts thereof.
Because the golfer twists the body and swings the arms, the golfer makes a stretching action along the flank lines L1 and L2 and a shoulder-turning action in a wide range. Thus, the polo shirt is required to stretch along the flank lines L1 and L2 and in particular, vertically in a great amount. However, as described above, each of the sewing lines along which the front body cloth 1 and the rear body cloth 2 are sewed to each other is coincident with each of the flank lines L1 and L2. Therefore, the part along each of the flank lines L1 and L2 stretches vertically in a smaller amount than other parts of the polo shirt. Similarly, because the golfer swings the arms widely, the polo shirt is required to stretch horizontally in a great amount around the shoulder. However, as described above, the sleeve 3 is sewed to the front body cloth 1 and the rear body cloth 2 along the armhole of each thereof. Thus, the sewing line along which the sleeve 3 is sewed to the front body cloth 1 and the rear body cloth 2 is coincident with the margin of the armhole of each thereof. Therefore, the part along the armhole stretches in a smaller amount than other parts of the polo shirt.
As apparent from the above description, in the conventional polo shirt, the sewing line is present in the portion required to stretch. Thus, the stretch-required portion is stretchable in a low degree when the golfer swings the golf club.
The above-described problem of the conventional polo shirt occurs not only in golf but also in sports such as tennis, badminton, baseball, and the like necessitating players to twist the body and swing the arms. Further, not only in the polo shirt, but also in a T-shirt, the front body cloth and the rear body cloth are sewed to each other along each flank line, and each sleeve is sewed to the front body cloth and the rear body cloth along the armhole of each thereof. The golfer wears the windbreaker when it is windy or cold and the rainwear when it is rainy. Thus, the windbreaker and the rainwear have problems similar to that of the polo shirt, because the front body cloth and the rear body cloth are sewed to each other along the flank line, and the sleeve is sewed to the front body cloth and the rear body cloth along the armhole.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described situation. Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sport outerwear such as a polo shirt which is suitable for a golfer in particular and stretchable along a flank line and around a shoulder.
In order to achieve the object, according to the present invention, there is provided a outerwear comprising of a front body cloth, a rear body cloth, right and left flank cloths having a predetermined width and right and left sleeve cloths,
said one edge of each right and left flank cloth is sewed to said front body cloth and other edge of each right and left flank cloth is sewed to said rear body cloth such that each sewing line does not coincide with right and left flank lines
each of said right and left flank cloth is extended to under-sleeve part sewed to said sleeve cloth; an elongation percentage of each of said front body cloth and said rear body cloth is set high in a horizontal direction thereof.
As described above, in the outerwear of the present invention, both edges of the front body cloth and the rear body cloth are sewed to both edges of each of the right and left flank cloths. That is, each of the sewing lines is not coincident with each of the flank lines. Further, the elongation percentage of each of the right and left flank cloths is set high in the longitudinal direction thereof. Thus, the outerwear can be preferably used as an outerwear for sports such as golf, tennis, and the like. In this case, when a golfer swings up a golf club in a wide range or a tennis player swings up a racket in a wide range, the flank line stretches longitudinally in a great amount. Accordingly, the outerwear does not fit tight in the flank region. That is, the outerwear can preferably follow their swinging actions and the like, thus facilitating and enhancing their actions. The outerwear of the present invention is used not only as a sport outerwear, but also as outerwear for other purposes. For example, because it can preferably follow actions of arms, it can be preferably used as a working outerwear for works necessitating arms to move upward and downward and as everyday clothes.
It is preferable that the rear body cloth is formed so as to extend to a rear part of a sleeve. In the construction, the stretch of the outerwear in the region from the back to the arm thereof is not prevented when the golfer or the tennis player twists the body. This is because no sewing line is present between the rear body cloth and the sleeve. Thus, the outerwear can preferably follow the players"" swinging actions and the like. The front body cloth should be formed in much consideration of design. In playing golf or tennis, the golfer and the tennis player swing their arms forward more than backward. Thus, there is no problem if the position of sewing line between the front body cloth and the sleeve is positioned at the armhole. Thus, it is preferable that the front body cloth and the sleeve are sewed to each other at the armhole.
It is preferable that the flank cloth is of Dolman type. In the Dolman type, the sport outerwear is loose at the underarm, which does not make the golfer or the tennis player feel tight and allows them to swing the arms smoothly and in a wide range, and a beautiful silhouette can be formed along the flank line.
It is preferable that the outerwear is formed as a polo shirt having a neck and half-length or long right and left sleeves, and a front body cloth of which is opened and closed in an upper part thereof.
A outerwear may be formed as a windbreaker made of a nonventilative material. The windbreaker may have a V-shaped or U-shaped neck to allow a user to wear it by slipping it over the user""s head. Instead, the windbreaker may have an opening part on its front body cloth. A stretchable material is installed on the periphery of opening parts such as the neck, the edge of the sleeve, and the lower end of the body cloth to prevent wind from entering the opening parts. Moreover, the outerwear may be formed as a rainwear made of a waterproof material. The conventional windbreaker and rainwear are not preferable in following behavior of arms. On the other hand, the windbreaker and rainwear of the present invention can follow the behavior of the arms because no sewing lines are formed on the flank part and the armhole.
A long sleeve may be formed of an upper sleeve section positioned above the elbow and consisting of the flank cloth, the rear sleeve part integral with the rear body cloth, and a front upper sleeve cloth sewed to the flank cloth, the front body cloth, and the rear body cloth; and a lower sleeve section consisting of a cylindrical lower sleeve cloth sewed to the upper sleeve section. According to another method of forming a cylindrical long sleeve, the rear body cloth is not integral with the sleeve. In this method, the flank cloth is formed from the lower end of the front body cloth and that of the rear body cloth to the lower open end of the long cylindrical sleeve to be formed; and an upper-side sleeve cloth is sewed to the front body cloth and the rear body cloth along the armhole thereof and to an underside sleeve cloth integral with the flank cloth.